Light and Sound
by Warden-Sigma
Summary: Maggie volunteers for the lighting for the Royal Woods High School annual performance, but is surprised when a former student volunteers to work sound.
1. Chapter 1 - Only

"Magdala? Magdala Forrister?"

Maggie snapped out of her daze, realising that was her being called out. She rarely heard her full name these days. "Present."

Ah, the final year of high school. The year where everyone stops focusing on the petty stuff because suddenly schoolwork is important. Not to say it still didn't happen, but very few people actually cared about it in the long run. The end of the school year was approaching faster than most could handle, and it was all Maggie could do to keep from failing.

The substitute teacher continued their rollcall as Maggie went back to her thoughts, content to just let the day slip by in a haze. Only when a work booklet was placed in front of her did reality harshly reassert itself. With a resigned sigh, she grabbed her pen, its black and purple visage worn with age and use, and began her tedious work.

She hated math.

The day slipped by quickly, a relief to Maggie. Despite that, she had plans, but at least these were voluntary so she could back out at any time she needed.

Royal Woods High School put on a fairly elaborate performance every year, usually a musical of some kind. Musicals weren't her thing. She personally found them inane and sometimes painful to watch. However, she was keen on the technical part of them, in lieu of being able to work on the script as it was based off a pre-existing work, and as such had volunteered to work on the lighting. Barring the occasional mistake and faulty wiring from the aged building, she was able to set the atmosphere to exactly what it needed to be, and she found she was good at it too.

It certainly didn't help that her friend, Becca, was performing and insisted she join up too. It took a lot of convincing to not be roped into the actual performance part.

The moment she entered the hall, she heard someone talking. All the crew and performers were crowding the centre of the room. The teacher in charge, Miss Williams, turned her head and, spotting her, approached Maggie.

"What's going on?"

Miss Williams beamed. "One of our old students has decided to help us with this year's production."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "O… kay, I don't see how that's-"

Before she could finish she felt herself being pushed towards the crowd, into where Miss Williams was previously standing. Standing next to her once she joined the circle was a brunette woman in suit jacket, worn over a white button-up shirt and finished off with a yellow skirt and pink tie. She spoke with a pitch and tone that reeked of optimism, with a slight lisp thanks to her considerable buck teeth. However, what caught her eye the most was the large ponytail she had done up with a yellow scrunchie, a style she had seen countless times before on one particular girl.

She realised that she had missed whatever this woman was talking about, having zoned out. Not that she cared much - as she started listening in she caught on that she was talking to the performers at this point.

Finishing off with a joke, the woman wrapped up her speech and the performers moved off to start rehearsals. Maggie's relief of having some room to breathe was short-lived, as the woman addressed the technical crew now.

"I know I made a big deal of the actors, but I want you guys to know that you guys are just as important as they are. You might not be at the front of the stage, but without you guys everyone else would just be floundering in the dark in jeans and t-shirts." She giggled that distinctive giggle Maggie swore she had heard before. "Now, when we start the rehearsal, make sure to give it your best, and I'll be here to give you some _sound_ advice." Another laugh, and some of the crew laughed with her. "Get it?"

Maggie didn't get it.

"Okay, let's get to it." Miss Williams stated, clapping her hands together. Maggie needed no other prompt. She climbed the stairs into the control room and slung her hefty bag into the corner, pulling the only chair up to the lighting console.

"So how do you work the sound system?"

Maggie yelped and nearly fell out of her chair in uncharacteristic surprise, the voice of the brunette sudden. "Jesus! When did you get here?!"

"Just now."

Maggie took a few breaths to calm herself. "Okay, so _why_ are you up here?"

"I'm working sound." She replied matter-of-factly. "Miss Williams asked me to when I volunteered."

Maggie sighed. She knew she wouldn't be up here all alone the whole time, not unless she worked sound as well. And juggling both was impossible for someone unfamiliar with both systems, and an unnecessary challenge for those who did. But why this woman of all people? "Fine."

She felt something near her. Turning her head she saw Luan sticking her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Luan."

"Maggie." She replied, not bothering to return the shake.

Luan scoffed, pulling her hand back. "Well, I can tell you're going to be an absolute _joy_ to work with."

"Look, I just prefer to be on my own. Working with someone is a bit sudden, especially with someone so…" Sickeningly cheerful, she wanted to say. "... enthusiastic."

A quick glance told Maggie that Luan knew what she was about to say, if the slight scowl on her face was anything. Luan let out a sigh. "Like it or not, Maggie, we're going to have to work together, and if we want to make this work we at least have to communicate."

"Do I have to like it?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try, but if you're gonna be this resistant I can't force you."

"Turn the computer on."

Luan tilted her head. "Sorry?"

"If you want sound, turn that computer on." She pointed to the computer to her side.

"That one-?"

 _Paff_

Luan, the arm she was pointing with having just bumped into Maggie's… ample bosom, immediately withdrew it. "Dang it, sorry-!"

"Hey! Watch where you're swinging that thing!"

"Can you blame me, it's hard to miss a target that big!"

A veil of silence fell. Luan was the first to break it, stifling her laughter. It worked for exactly a second before she started giggling.

Maggie, despite herself, cracked a smile.


	2. Chapter 2 - Go With The Flow

"So why are you here?"

Maggie looked up from the console. "Come again?"

"Why are you here, working lights?" Luan leant back in her chair, recently added, mucking around with it's swivelling nature. "Not judging or anything, I'm just curious."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Why does it even matter to you?"

"Jeez, so defensive." Luan smirked. "Lighten up, Mags. Get it?"

Maggie groaned at the joke. "Fine, sure, I'll humour you, Ponytail." She gestured out the window of the booth, towards the group of actors rehearsing their bits. "See that blonde girl, the kinda short one? I'm here cuz of her."

Luan leaned in closer, her smirk widening. "Someone's got a crush~"

"Wh- No!" Her face went bright red. "She's my friend, dumbass." She sighed, leaning on the console desk. "She practically forced me to sign up."

"She 'forced' you?" Luan raised an eyebrow. "You don't strike me as being a girl who'd be easy to force into doing anything."

"I'm not." Maggie fiddled with one of the many, currently inactive, controls. "But she would've never let me hear the end of it if I didn't join up, and this was the only thing I wanted to do."

"Ugh, I know what that's like." Luan chuckled. "One of my sisters or my brother usually want me to help with something, and even if I have important plans they get all mad." She sighed, leaning back on her chair. "Look, I still love them, but sometimes I just wanna do my own thing. Or _have_ to do my own thing."

"That's one advantage of being an only child." Maggie replied.

"Yeah, but doesn't it get lonely?"

Maggie remained quiet for a moment. This question… It kind of struck a little close. "I like being alone."

Luan didn't reply, or make a dumb joke, for a while, instead watching the actors do their things.

"So why are you here?" Maggie asked, breaking the silence, her eyes still on the console.

"Huh?" Luan snapped out of her daze.

"Why are you here? You don't go to this school anymore, so you've gotta have a reason."

"Honestly, I just enjoy being here." Luan smiled. "Plus I haven't worked sound before, and if I'm gonna pass my classes at college it'd help to know my stuff."

"So you're doing this for extra credit?" Maggie asked.

"I don't think this'd get me extra credit." Luan idly played with her hair. "But I still like doing this sort of thing."

Maggie raised an eyebrow. She didn't get this girl.

The rest of the rehearsal went smoothly, if not quietly. Maggie found out just how many siblings Luan had (ten, which was a lot), and one of them was in one of her classes. But aside from that and a few other unimportant conversations, Maggie preferred to keep things professional between them. She felt a little bad about it but not enough to really bother her.

Maggie slung her weighty bag over her shoulders and stepped outside the school hall. It was quite the warm day, so she grabbed the hoodie she was wearing and tied it up around her waist.

As she was doing that, she spotted her friend chatting away to Luan. To no surprise, seeing as she was a Thespian-type and the two probably had quite a lot in common.

She left them to their own devices as she made the trudge back home. By the time she reached it, around fifteen minutes' walk, she was sticky from sweat and her feet were sore from where her old boots were chafing against her.

She stepped inside, welcomed by the rush of cool air and the smell of dinner being started. A head poked out of a room to the side, her mother. How her mother was of a dark complexion while she herself was one of the most pale people she had ever seen still baffled her.

"Hello, honey!" Her mother called out to her. Maggie offered her a grunt as a reply. "How was school today?"

"Okay." Maggie replied, making for her room, easy to reach in the small house. The moment she stepped inside she threw her bag into its usual corner with a hearty thump, and threw herself onto her bed to cool down, stripping down to her underwear as she laid on her back. After a few moments, she sat back up and studied her sore and weary feet - a rough spot was forming on the side of her left heel, and on the tendon of her right foot she had a blister. She frowned. She needed new boots.

She slipped on a fresh set of clothes, an oversized shirt that hung loose on her frame and a pair of sweatpants. Working under her shirt she unclipped and removed the bra, letting out a sigh as the tightness and sore areas around her back and chest were relieved.

Something flashed in her mind. She had a writing project to finish for school, and some other homework she cared less about but still had to work on. With an annoyed groan she scooped her bag back up and dragged it outside her room, to the desk in the living room. She tried having a desk in her room before, but the tight space and the issues with sleep she had having her work station in the same room as her where she slept made it far more detrimental than beneficial. Besides, sometimes she needed to swallow her pride and ask for help from her mother.

As she began typing at the computer, the worksheet resting to the side for reference, her mind wandered to Luan. She didn't know what to think of her, like her mind was drawing a complete blank. Admittedly she didn't mind the company up there, and Luan was… kinda cute. But her overbearing optimism kind of bugged her, though not nearly as much as her dumb jokes did.

Some time passed. Maggie had just finished her first draft when her dinner was finally served, a simple but healthy and full plate of mixed vegetables, pasta, and some chicken cut into small pieces. Something she'd had a hundred times before but she always liked.

"So how was rehearsal today?" Her mother asked in her motherly, loving tone.

Maggie shrugged. "Eh, it was alright."

"Becca's mom said that you've got an old student helping you."

"Yeah, we do." Maggie took a large mouthful of food. "Drama kid from last year."

"Honey, don't talk with your mouth full." Her mother reminded her in a soft voice.

"Sorry." She finished the food in her mouth before continuing. "Yeah, she's a drama kid from last year. Kinda doing this to help her with college stuff."

"Well, isn't that nice of her." Her mother smiled. "It's always good to see former students helping their former schoolmates."

Maggie shrugged. "I guess." She scooped another bite of food and ate it. "Oh, Mom, I kinda forgot to ask you earlier, I need some new boots. They're starting to chafe."

Her mother chuckled lightly. "Only now? Those boots really did hold up well these past seven years, I'm surprised they still fit you." She smiled. "After dinner, would you like to go out and get a new pair?"

Maggie's lip turned upwards in as much of a smile as she normally smiled. "Sure."


	3. Chapter 3 - Push It

Maggie had not slept well.

Hauling her bag along to school through the morning sun, which was already threatening to burn her into a crisp later in the day, she really wished she was still in bed.

Once at school itself she yanked her locker open and hurled her bag in. A string dangled from above the doorway. Curious, she pulled it down to study it, but it seemed stuck on something, so she tugged harder. By the time she heard something slide down from the locker top, it was too late to react, and something squished into her head. She grabbed the offending object, an open pie crust full of cream and still in the tin, and shot glances around her. Aside from a few snickering students, nobody really stood out. Growling in anger she lobbed the pie into the ground, grabbed her books for the day, and sped off to wash her hair out enough that it would be barely noticeable.

Still getting cream out, she went to her first class, barely on time and with damp hair. It was uneventful, as was the next few classes, but then lunch happened. As she went to the cafeteria, she spotted her friend Becca, and Luan, sitting and chatting. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Luan, and she knew Becca knew she liked to sit alone sometimes, so she elected to sit by herself. A terrible move, as somehow she ended up sitting on a cushion of some kind, one that made an embarrassing noise when she did. She gripped whatever was under her, and scowled, throwing the whoopee cushion into the nearest wall, her face flushed red as she heard a few giggles.

Lunch passed without any further incident. As did the rest of the day, for that matter. She lugged her bag to the hall to another rehearsal and threw it into the corner (it was just as well she only had paper books in there, otherwise she could've damaged something), sitting on her chair after checking it was all clear.

She could _feel_ Luan looking at her with a smug grin.

"What?" Maggie asked with a hint of venom.

"I _gas_ you were just checking if your seat was clear?"

Maggie frowned. "So you were the one who's been pranking me?"

"Guilty as charged." Luan sounded proud of the fact.

"Don't do it again." Maggie bluntly ordered. "I'm sick of it."

"Where's your sense of humour, Maggie?" Luan smiled. "It was only a couple of harmless pranks."

"Luan…" Maggie growled.

"Alright, fine, no more pranks." Luan conceded. She stuck her hand out. "Shake on it?"

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, not happening."

"Maggie, shake my hand." Luan said with eerie sternness. "Otherwise I might not stop."

Maggie shot a glance at her. She looked completely serious. Hesitantly, she grabbed her hand, only to feel a solid object in her palm the moment it shocked her, a short and intense vibration rocking down her arms. She yanked her arm out of Luan's grip. "Jesus!"

Luan laughed, removing the joy buzzer from her hand. "Sorry, couldn't resist one last one."

Maggie just growled.

The rest of the day, and the walk home, was uneventful outside of the slight joy of having new boots.

Her mother, as usual, was cooking up dinner when she got home. She didn't poke her head out when she opened or shut the door, so she must've been quite busy with it.

"I'm home!" Maggie called out, before doing her usual cooldown routine. Looking in her bedroom mirror, she could still see some cream in her long raven hair. She frowned and tried her best to brush it out, getting all she could see, then rinsing the brush off in the bathroom sink. Only a proper shower would get it all out, she knew, but the less in there for her mother to question, the better.

Finally, dinner was called. She wasn't excited by it, much to her annoyance, and she almost had to fight to keep eating it as her appetite seemed to be less than normal.

"Everything okay, sweetie?" Her mother asked.

Maggie paused. Should she just say she isn't hungry? Should she pass it off as teenage angst? Or should she tell her why she was in such a sour-

"Maggie?"

Maggie sighed. "I'm okay. Just not feeling very hungry."

Wrong answer. Her mother pulled herself up and placed a hand on Maggie's forehead, then cheek, checking her temperature. "You're not feeling ill, are you?"

"No, just… not hungry." Maggie took another bite of her food and managed to actually eat it.

Her mother sat back down, looking thoughtful. "You know if there's anything wrong, you can tell me."

"I get it." Maggie replied, trying not to show any venom in her voice. "Things are fine." She went to pick at her food, but found her plate surprisingly empty. Weird, she swore she had eaten only half of it, though at least she felt it in her stomach. She pushed her plate aside and pulled herself up. "I'm gonna go finish some homework."

Her mother nodded, taking their plates into the kitchen. Maggie slumped in front of the computer, and wracked her brain to work on her writing project. By the time she started any kind of progress, it was time for her to sleep, and this only compounded her frustrations

She had remarkably better sleep that night. In fact, she was feeling quite well-rested. She had no idea why, by all accounts she should've been half-dead and pissed off with the world.

"Hey Maggie!"

She turned her head around. Her blonde, short friend, Becca, practically sprinted up to her. "Hey."

"Mind if I walk with you?"

Maggie shrugged. "Sure."

The two continued on for a while. "Man, I'm really excited about the musical. You?"

"Eh." She waved her hand.

Becca chuckled. "Bout what I expected." She sighed. "So how's Luan been treating you?"

Aaaaand there was the frustration again. _Welcome back, dickbag_ , she thought. "She's been… a bit difficult, I'm not gonna lie."

"Yeah, I can see that. She's like your polar opposite."

"And you're not?" Maggie asked with a sly smile.

"Hah, well, we're not _entirely_ different, much as I joke about it."

The two eventually made it to the school. Maggie, already exhausted from the walk, waved back to Becca as the two went to their separate lockers. Maggie double-checked for traps - clear, for now.

In fact, the whole day was eerily safe. No pies, no cushions, no anything. She still checked over her shoulder every chance she could - trusting someone like Luan seemed like a disaster waiting to happen, and if there was one thing she had learnt from her mother, it was to always be prepared.

Still a little wary, she made it to the hall and up the stairs to the control booth. Luan was already there, testing the sound system, seemingly paying her no mind. Maggie checked her own chair for a whoopee cushion, and found it free of one. She shrugged, and sat on it.

 _ **BANG!**_

Screaming, Maggie was thrown out of her seat from the shock of the noise, her head slamming into the lighting console. She slipped onto the floor and onto her back, clutching her forehead as she felt a sharp pain from the impact.

And she heard laughter.

Maggie tried to pull herself up, but found her hair was stuck to something. Even so, she managed to get herself upright with a little bit of force, her entire body burning with fury.

She levelled a death glare at Luan, who was still giggling. "I know I said I wouldn't do any more pranks, but I guess I'm _stuck_ in my old habits." She only laughed more at her joke.

And it was pissing her off. Maggie clenched her fists. "What the hell was that?!"

Luan's laughter hitched. "H-huh?"

"I told you not prank me, dumbass!" Maggie grabbed her chair, a party-popper tied in an elaborate rig underneath it. She threw the chair aside. "We shook on it!"

"I-it was just one prank-"

Maggie stormed up to her and grabbed her collar, yanking her close. The look of joviality in Luan's eyes completely disintegrated into fear. Maggie went to say something, but scowled, and yelled as she shoved Luan backwards, the chair rolling into the wall with barely any force. She grasped her bag and swung it over her shoulders, shoving the door open. She spun on her heels to face the still-shocked Luan. "Y'know what, screw this! I can't do this if _you're_ gonna be here!"

"M-Maggie, wait…!"

"No, screw you and your pathetic little pranks!" Maggie screamed back. "I'm done!"

She stormed down the stairs, walking past the crew on her way to the bathrooms. "Maggie…?" Becca asked.

She ignored her and her urge to just shove her aside, slamming the bathroom door shut and approaching one of the few large mirrors in the room. She scowled. Her hair was an absolute mess, everything past her shoulders sticking out all over the place and coated in a layer of some kind of half-solid, sticky substance. A thin trail of blood was streaking down the centre of her face, and lifting her fringe she could see that her collision with the console had broken the skin. Her eyes looked red and puffy, on the verge of tears and filled with anger. She hated how she looked right now.

Still fuming, she turned the tap on to clean her face, using whatever runoff was in her hands to see if the sticky substance in her hair could be washed off. It couldn't, and in fact made it solidify even further, which only angered her even more. She reached into her bag and pulled out a small white pouch marked with a red cross, pulling a small bandage from her bag and, after making sure the area was dry, placed it across the cut. It didn't take long for the whiteish plaster to grow a red spot, but it didn't get much worse.

The door opened behind her, just as she started packing her first aid kit up. Luan poked her head in. "Jeez, I really did a number to your hair."

Maggie frowned, and slung her bag over her shoulder, brushing against the tangled spines of her hair with some spikes of pain.

"Y-you do know I didn't mean to-"

Maggie just walked past her, deliberately bumping into her as she did. Luan hit the wall with a grunt of pain.

"Oh come on, Maggie! Can't you take a joke?"

She didn't reply. As much as her body and mind screamed at her to reply, to hit her, to do _anything_ to show Luan just how far she had gone, she didn't. It wasn't worth the aggravation.

Anger soon melted away into sadness as her adrenaline wore off during her walk home, and by the time she got home she was about ready to break down.

Her mother, rather than cooking something, was sitting at the table, reading. She looked up from her book. "Oh, hey sweetie, you're home early-" Her eyes went wide. "Good lord! What on Earth happened to you?!"

Maggie went to brush her off, but found her voice catching in her throat. The floodgates were nearly shattered, and only her stubbornness kept them from critical failure. Instead, she walked past her mother and into her room, throwing her bag into the corner and her boots to the side, and looking at herself in the mirror, her messed-up hair now almost completely solid. Eyes welling up, she turned away and laid down on her bed, curling up just as she let the gates open.


	4. Chapter 4 - Stupid Girl

Maggie's eyes drifted open. She had no idea she had fallen asleep, and was awoken by a light shake.

"Are you doing okay, sweetie?" Her mother's voice, soft and caring, asked her. She felt her weight on the bed behind her.

Maggie groaned. "No…"

"Well, why don't you tell me all about it while we get you cleaned up?"

Maggie tried to turn her head, but the spines formed from whatever was in her hair stopped her. At least one of the clusters seemed stuck to the sheets as well. "S-sure."

Maggie, prying herself off the bed, and her mother, made their way to the bathroom. Her mother studied the mess in her hair, while Maggie took a deep breath.

"So, you know that old student who was helping us with the rehearsal?" She began.

"Mm?"

"She's… well, aside from being almost _painfully_ cheerful, she's also a prankster-type."

"That explains this." Her mother murmured. "You've always despised practical jokes."

"Yeah…" Maggie twitched as a lock of hair was pulled on. "She didn't even seem to realise she went too far."

"Hmm… Honey, I hate to tell you this, but we're probably going to have to cut your hair."

Maggie frowned. "Really?"

"Afraid so."

She sighed. She really liked having long hair, but if she had to cut it off… it was better to have someone else do it before she botched it up herself.

Her mother began cutting away, being as careful as she could to keep it even and not yank her hair. "I was thinking, Maggie, we could go out for dinner tonight, maybe to that nice pizza place you like."

Maggie perked up a little, and her stomach silently responded in kind. "Really?"

"Yeah. You've had a rough day, and I'm a little too tired to cook tonight." She replied, already halfway done with Maggie's hair. "How about it?"

Maggie smiled. Just a little, but it was a smile. "I'm fine with that."

"Superb. And…" Her mother took a step back. "Done."

Maggie looked up and at the mirror in front of her. Her long black hair was now only up to her shoulders, though her fringe and sides remained their previous length. She… didn't hate the look, if she was honest with herself.

"What do you think?"

Maggie turned her head a little to get a different angle, then ran her finger through it. Her head felt so much lighter. "I've had worse."

Her mother smiled. "Glad you like it, sweetie."

 _A few hours earlier_

"Oh come on, Maggie! Can't you take a joke?" Luan yelled as Maggie left, half annoyed at her and half worried she was going to do something to her as a response. Which she didn't.

Luan pouted. The lack of humour in some people. Ah well, she was sure the sticky gel she used would wash out, so no harm.

Then she remembered the slight streak of blood running down her face. So maybe a _little_ harm. It wasn't like she had broken her arm, though, and any prank that didn't involve hospital bills were always a good thing.

She returned to the hall, and immediately Miss Winters and Maggie's friend Rebecca approached her.

"What happened?"

Luan shrugged. "I dunno. I just pulled a harmless prank-"

Rebecca suddenly went pale.

"-and she freaked out." She replied, softly.

"What kind of prank?" Miss Winters asked sternly.

"Nothing dangerous, just a party popper rigged to pop when she sat down." She could tell that they thought she was entirely in the wrong.

"Luan, you probably didn't know this, but Maggie _hates_ pranks." Rebecca said, quietly. "Like, _really_ hates them."

Luan frowned. "That explains the overreaction."

"Hopefully she'll be fine in a few days at the latest." Miss Winters sighed. "In the meantime, you're going to have to work lights as well as sound."

"I'd _light_ to think I can do that." She laughed. "Get it?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Rebecca replied.

Luan walked back up the stairs and into the control room. She spend a moment studying the patch of now-hardened gel where Maggie had landed, and the chair that had been thrown across the room, and felt just a twinge of guilt. She shook her head and focused on the task at hand, moving up to the console and pulling her seat underneath her.

After a few trials, she realised that she had a problem. She knew how to work both systems, that wasn't the issue. It was trying to do both at the same time that was the problem.

The entire rehearsal was spent just trying to see how well she could juggle both tasks, and she made very little progress with that. Tired, stressed and headachey, she trudged back home once the rehearsal wrapped up.

Once home, she pushed the front door open, and was immediately assaulted by noise and chaos. Lana and Lola, ever at odds, were bickering as usual, and Lincoln was already trying to de-escalate the fight. After exchanging the cursory greetings, she made her way to her room, which was a lot quieter except for the presence of her older sister, and currently the oldest sister in the house at barely 21, Luna, playing an acoustic guitar and relaxing in her beanbag.

"Hey dude." Luna gave her a little wave.

"Hey Luna." Luan replied.

Luna stopped playing her guitar. "You okay? You sound kinda bummed out."

"Yeah, just…" Luan sighed, sitting down on her bed and pulling her laptop out - she, too, had homework to do, most of which she was studying online for. It gave her more time to keep the house in line, as Lincoln alone couldn't hold the fort, Lori and Leni had moved out, and Luna was a little too free-spirited. "Something happened today at rehearsal."

"Did someone slip and break their butt?" Luna smirked.

Luan giggled a little. "No, nothing like that. Kind of. Someone _did_ slip and hurt themselves though, from a prank I set up."

"Which one was it?"

"A new one I came up with yesterday. You take a party popper and some string, and tie it to the swivel chair in such a way that when you sit on it it goes off."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "So how badly did it backfire, dude?"

"Very." Luan sighed. "The girl flipped out at me and quit the musical, so now I have to work both light and sound."

"Seems like an overreaction to me." Luna shrugged, idly playing a few chords.

"Maybe. Probably didn't help that I put water-soluble gel on the floor and she got her hair in it, which was also part of the prank."

"Y'mean that gel?" Luna pointed to a large tube of gel on the dresser.

Luan blinked, then grabbed the tube, which was labelled as prank gel (with a variety of hilarious uses!). Then she pulled the one out of her bag, which looked nearly identical except for the label, which said it was some kind of water-hardened sealant. "Uh oh."

"Dude, did you screw up?"

"Big time."

Luna leant over and looked at the two tubes. "Why… do they have the same container…?"

Luan shrugged. "Welp, looks like I really messed up, especially since apparently this girl _really_ hates pranks."

Luna murmured something.

"Pardon?"

"Nothin'."

Luan sighed. "I guess it also doesn't help that she hit her head against the control panel thing. And I _may_ have promised I wouldn't prank her again the day before."

"You think you _might_ have gone a bit too far this time, dude?" Luna asked, now sitting next to Luan.

Luan went to reply, but hesitated. Thinking about it, she probably did take things a bit far this time. "But how was I supposed to know she didn't like pranks?"

"Dude, lemme let you in on a little secret." Luna placed a hand on Luan's shoulders. "Not many people like being pranked. You remember all the panic the rest of us felt when you used to prank us hard on April Fools?"

"Yep." Luan murmured.

"Yeah. Think about that for a mo'."

Luan sighed. "Ugh, I know I screwed up. But what the heck am I supposed to do about it?"

"Apologise to her, dude." Luna replied.

"How? She's not gonna want to talk to me ever again."

"Don't worry, sis, I got an idea." Luna snapped her fingers.

Maggie took a huge bite out of her pizza, its cheesy goodness a welcome taste.

"How's your pizza, sweetie?"

She swallowed her mouthful. "It's good."

Her mother smiled. "Glad to hear it."

The two ate their meals for a few moments, Maggie with her pizza and her mother with her pasta.

"So, you said your co-worker was a practical joker?"

Maggie instinctively went to brush her hair with her fingers, only to remember that it was cut short. "Yeah. She dropped a pie on my head, made me sit in a whoopee cushion, and put a party popper under my chair."

"Oh my."

"Oh, and the hair thing. And this." She lifted her fringe up, showing the bandage covering the cut.

"What happened there?" Her mother asked with worry.

"Hit my head on the console when the party popper went off."

"Hmm…" Her mother spent a moment thinking. "I can see why you were pretty down."

"Yeah. Because of her, I quit the musical."

Her mother nearly choked. "What?"

"I can't work with that girl." Maggie frowned. "She's just the worst."

"You could have asked her to not prank you."

"I _did_ , that's the problem!" Maggie groaned. "But she pranked me again!"

"That's… fair, but don't you think quitting the musical was the way to handle that situation?"

"What else could I do?" Maggie shrugged. "It's not like she'd stop, and I wasn't really invested in the musical anyway."

"Well, if you really think she stepped over the line, then go and tell her. Make it clear to her that she went overboard. As for the musical, I think you were enjoying it, but that's really your call."

Maggie grunted in reply, taking another bite out of her pizza. "Maybe. Probably not."

The next day rolled over. Maggie had another uneventful day at school. A few questions about her haircut, and Becca seemed surprisingly unfazed by her dropping out of the musical, though she did ask her if she was still interested. Her reply was 'I'll think about it', but she didn't mean it.

Probably.

As usual she lingered around school as the veritable horde of students cleared out, before making her departure.

As soon as she stepped through the gate, she spotted a familiar ponytail. And immediately turned the other way. She did _not_ want to talk to Luan, at least not now.

"Oh, Maggie! There you are!" Luan called out to her.

She kept walking.

"Hey, wait a second, I need to talk to you!" She heard her walking up.

Maggie walked faster.

Not fast enough. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she spun around on her heel, glaring at a startled Luan. "What?!" She snapped back.

Luan took a step back. "I-I just wanted to apologise." She sighed. "I just… I messed up. I went back on my word and I hurt you."

"And why should I forgive you?" Maggie crossed her arms.

"I don't expect you to." Luan shrugged. "I just wanted to let you know I'm sorry."

Maggie paused for a second. She wasn't expecting this. She was expecting that she'd be the one to apologise, not Luan, and not as frank. Most of her anger and frustration just… melted away, and what was left only remained because of her natural stubbornness. "Look, I… I may have overreacted myself, made a bigger deal out of it than I should've. I may need some time to think about your apology, though."

"Is it because of your hair?"

"And the cut."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got my gel mixed up. Though I gotta admit, I kinda like you with shorter hair."

Maggie stammered. "I-I mean, I'm not sold on it, but nobody's laughed at me yet so that's something." She found herself blushing. She didn't know _why_ but she was.

"Yeah, it looks good on you." Luan smiled. "But yeah, sorry about the whole thing. If you decide to join the musical crew again, I promise I won't prank you again."

"And if I don't join up again?"

"Well, I still won't prank you. But seriously, I can't handle both light and sound, I need someone who's _switched on_ to work one of them." She giggled. "Get it?"

"I wish I didn't." Maggie murmured. "Really though, I'll have to think about it."

And this time, she meant it.


	5. Chapter 5 - Addicted!

Maggie did think about returning to the musical crew. And she decided she would. After all, it took more than one person to work light and sound.

Several weeks passed. School went from regular classes to exam preparation, and the weight of the incoming finals was hanging hard on Maggie's shoulders. It would've added more to her back problems if it wasn't metaphorical.

Fortunately she still had a few weeks left before school finished, so she had a fair amount of time to work.

She also noticed that she was feeling a bit… off. Nothing bad, but still weird. And distracting, which was the last thing she needed.

As she walked home with Luan and Becca one Thursday afternoon, she started to pin down when it started.

It started when Luan complimented her hair.

Maggie had always preferred having long hair, but when Luan had said that short was a good look for her, she decided she might keep it despite herself.

She also found herself trying to spend a bit more time with Luan, outside of what she had to with the musical. Whenever Luan was at the school at lunch, Maggie was hanging out with her. It had become a regular thing for the two of them, and Becca, to walk home together until they had to part ways. Maggie kinda wished she didn't have to.

Then, it hit her. Maybe, just _maybe_ , she-

"You like her, don't you?"

Maggie blinked, snapped out of her introspective daze by Becca. "W-what?"

Becca smiled a telling smile. "You're not very subtle."

Shit. If Becca knew how she felt, then Luan almost certainly knows. The woman was a master of body language and gauging reactions. "I, uh…"

"Hey, I can't blame ya. She's a great girl, lots of fun to be around." She leant in close. "Plus, she has _great_ legs and a nice ass-"

Maggie turned bright red. "Holy shit, Becca, shut up."

Becca giggled. "Just teasing you." She sighed. "You should totally ask her out though."

"No way, she's not my type." Maggie lied. "I… I dunno if she'd even like me back anyway, even if I _did_ like her."

Becca shrugged. "Only one way to find out, y'know."

"Can we change the subject, please?" She snapped back. The more she lingered on the thought, the more uncomfortable she felt.

Fortunately, the rest of the walk was pleasant, if not a bit awkward, and as Becca split off to make her way to her own home she decided that she might as well get home as soon as possible, to avoid the heat of the sun.

The rest of the evening passed without incident. Once in bed, Maggie laid on her side, trying to get to sleep. Obviously she couldn't, that goddamn woman kept invading her thoughts.

Okay, so, Maggie obviously had a crush. She also knew that Luan probably knew she had a crush on her.

But she couldn't just… ask her out. That'd be weird, and possibly quite a bad idea. Besides, as far as she knew, Luan could already have a boyfriend or girlfriend - after all, the last time she could remember seeing her at school, she was holding hands with… whatever his name was. She never really learnt anyone's name.

Maybe… Maybe she should just watch how Luan acted around her. She was not the best at reading people, but maybe Luan would act obvious enough that even she could see. She _hoped_ she'd be that obvious.

After what felt like about ten hours of solid thinking, she eventually zoned out, and the next thing she heard was her alarm going off.

"Jeez, you look exhausted."

Maggie looked up from her lunch. "Huh?" She felt a tiny sliver of her sleep deprivation fade away, as she caught Luan studying her face. _God her eyes were pretty_.

"We should probably call airport security, someone's left their bags here." She giggled. "Get it?"

She couldn't help but crack a slight smile.

"But seriously, you look like you didn't sleep very well last night."

"Yeah, I… I didn't get a good rest."

"Is everything okay?"

"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just one of those nights."

She remembered her whole 'trying to read Luan's body language to gauge if she even liked her' thing. But she was honestly a bit too tired to do that. Besides, what if what she 'read' as mutual attraction was just close friendship?

Damn she needed a nap.

"Hey," Luan reached into her shoulder bag, and pulled out a thermos. "Do you drink coffee?"

Maggie raised an eyebrow. "Nnno, I haven't tried it before."

"Do you wanna try some?" She held the thermos out to show her. "Don't worry too much, I don't drink the strong stuff. And it should help wake you up too."

"I know how coffee's supposed to work, Luan." She replied, gesturing that she wanted to try it. Luan picked up a nearby glass and poured some into it, then handed it to her. Maggie studied the liquid, before taking a wary sip. The drink was a little bitter, but not overbearingly so.

"Hm. Not bad."

Luan smiled. "Glad you're liking it so far."

Maggie took a larger sip. "So when does the caffeine hit?"

"About half an hour, I think. Lisa could tell you the specifics but that's how long it takes for me." She started pouring her own drink.

"Well, it should kick in just in time for class."

It did.

And she hated it.

Sure, she was awake and alert, but she might have been… _too_ alert. She was all twitchy, her anxiety shooting through the roof. Compounded with exam prep stress and her crush on Luan, she was a veritable wreck.

But at least it was starting to lessen when she began working on the lights after classes.

Well, except for the Luan bit.

"Hey Mags." Luan waved as she sat her bag in the corner. "How ya feeling?"

"Awake but stressed."

Luan winced. "Yeesh. Still, you're doing one better than Benny."

"Benny?" Oh Christ was that the name of her-

"My ex." Luan replied.

Maggie, instinctively, let out a sigh, but then immediately realised what that could mean. She dared not to look at Luan after that.

She though she heard Luan inhale as if to speak, but then she sighed herself, sitting down on her chair instead. "Better get to work, huh?"

"Y-yeah." Thank goodness Becca wasn't there.

Despite working in concert, the two of them were a lot more quiet than normal. Outside of her commands and suggestions, and the occasional quips, Luan was not talking much.

As if this didn't make her anxiety worse.

The next day went on as usual. The caffeine crash seemed to help Maggie get some decent sleep for once, and she and Luan were speaking as normal… well, mostly.

However, as she sat down to eat lunch, she noticed Luan was absent.

She sat down next to Becca. "Hey, have you seen Luan?"

"She said she had to do some studying at home, I think." Becca shrugged. "I mean, she _is_ a student." She smirked. "Why, you were planning on asking her out?"

"N-no." Maggie frowned. "I just… wanted to know where she is."

"Well, she's not hurt or off seeing a guy or something, if that's what you were worried about." She bit into her food. "But seriously, Maggie, you know you don't have to try and keep your crush on Luan a secret to me-"

"Shh…!" Maggie hissed, studying the room. A few glances, but that was about it. "Don't say it out loud…"

Becca raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you _do_ have-"

"Yes…!" Maggie snapped back, voice low and through gritted teeth. "Yes, I do. Happy now?"

Becca paused, then smiled. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Maggie squinted at her, then sat back on her seat. "Sometimes I wonder why I even hang out with you."

"Because you need someone around to stop you from getting too emotional."

"I am _not_ emotional."

" _Sure_ you're not."

Maggie yanked open her locker door, grabbing the books she needed to study with that night, before slamming it shut and locking it. She turned on her heels and was about to take her first step home when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"E-excuse me…"

Maggie paused, then turned around. Standing behind her was one of her classmates, a shy and nerdy boy she couldn't remember the name of. He was holding out a letter, covered in heart stickers.

"T-this fell out of your locker." Clearly he was nervous, both because he was holding a letter covered in hearts out to her and that could easily be misinterpreted, and if the fact his gaze wandered a little south of her face, there was… probably another reason.

Maggie all but snatched it out of his hands, and studied it. Rather than the envelope having a name or anything written on it, it just had a bunch of stickers all over it.

"Thanks." She replied, half-assedly, as she continued her walk. As she reached the main gate, she noticed that Becca had up and vanished on her too.

Probably just as well, she didn't need her snarky commentary right now.

Once she got home and onto her bed, she decided to read it while cooling down. The letter was almost as strange as the envelope it came in. Rather than hand-written, it was typed, and formally as well. As well as a very gentlemanly request for a date on Sunday, it had a map, with an address listed below it, and a time and date.

No signature or name.

Maggie frowned. Formal language didn't seem much like Luan's style, nor the overly-pedantic and secretive approach. Maybe it was that kid the whole time, and he was just pretending that it fell out of her locker? She didn't feel it hit her foot or anything.

She still had a day to think the offer over, though.


End file.
